Grillin’ and Chillin’

The day after the holiday I had a vacation day–mostly because my kitties get so freaked out from the fireworks that I never sleep well. It was a good move this year for that reason and the fact that I was so damn sore from the 9 mile hike Michael and I did on the 4th! OUCH. I felt it in my calves and hips. Thankfully my quads, glutes and hamstrings weren’t that bad or I would have been a whimpering mess. I slept in and then worked out my sore muscles in the pool (and the hot tub).

I spent the day doing stuff around the house–laundry, cleaning, yard work. Michael and I also picked up paint for my bathroom although we didn’t start that project. My guess is that it won’t start until after the Covered Bridge Century in August. From now until then every weekend is busy with bike training or summer activities. Speaking of cycling, I found a news story updating the story of the women riding the Tour de France! Check it out here.

The yard work was fun because it was hot and sunny out. I trimmed the roses, pulled weeds and then we got our tomato plants into the cages. I tried, to no avail, to get a good photo of the hummingbirds that love our Lucifer plant. (The little guy is in the center of the photo.)

Before I knew it, it was time for my phone interview for a podcast! I will share more details soon and share the link info with you guys. I was a bit nervous being interviewed but I think it went well. Fat Kitty watched me from inside the house while I lounged on the deck for the interview.

I only recently discovered the world of podcasts. I’ve been listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, Dan Savage and am catching up on some of the older ones for the podcast I was interviewed for.

Then it was dinner time. I munched on kale chips (I think I’m obsessed) and then we ate salads from the garden and shared the leftover onion strings from the other night while the chicken cooked.

I had marinated the chicken thighs for a few hours in some random marinade sauce I bought on clearance–herb and garlic. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic. Chicken just tastes so much better on the grill.

Dessert was a slice of cheesecake. This is what 250 calories looks like:

I was so sore from the 4th of July hike (my poor calves) I ended my evening with foam roller, a.k.a. medieval torture, slathered on BioFreeze and wore my compression socks to bed. I wanted to ride to work the next day and honestly it was iffy…

Friday Biking

I woke up still sore but decided I wasn’t too sore to ride. It was a warm morning after almost a week of hot weather. I wore my compression sleeves instead of my jacket and honestly didn’t need them. How were my calves? Sore but I was able to bike.

Morning Stats:

Michael had also adjusted my bike seat again. Last Friday he lowered it and while that cured my back pain, I ended up with knee pain so clearly it was a bit too low. I think the seat is in the right place now and my back and knees thanked me. For lunch I met up with a friend at The Veggie Grill–a new vegetarian restaurant downtown. My friend was helping me with some legal explanations and I had a fantastic lunch! I normally do not eat lunch out but made an exception. I got the “Buffalo Bomber”–a faux chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. The photo I took did not turn out well so here is one from their site:

It was a delicious sandwich and they’ve made the “faux” meats so much better than when I was a vegetarian way-back-when. And now I’m craving buffalo wing sauce! YUM. I ate my sandwich (two small pieces) and coleslaw and was so full I didn’t need my afternoon snack before biking home.

It was a hot ride home, in the 80’s, but it felt fantastic! I was strong and my body performed well. I was super happy with my ride.

Total miles for the day: 22.6. Total calories burned: 927. A good start to the weekend!

QUESTION: Are you a fan of podcasts? What are some of your favorites?